Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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WITHERSPOON, Jimmy

(b 8 Aug. '23, Gyrdon AR; d 18 Sep. '97, LA) Singer with big deep beautiful voice, characterized as blues singer but with all-round skills. While in Merchant Marine early '40s sang with Teddy Weatherford band on stop in Calcutta; replaced Walter Brown in Jay McShann band '44--8; R&B hits began with no. 1 'Ain't Nobody's Business' '49, more '49--52 on Supreme and Modern labels. Began making LPs '58; appeared at Monterey Jazz Festival '59 (album Live) and recorded for RCA, Atlantic, World Pacific, Reprise. Visited prisons regularly '60s to sing for inmates, toured Europe once a year; sang at Monterey in Jon Hendricks's 'Evolution Of The Blues Song' and on Columbia LP of it. Prestige and World Pacific LPs incl. 'Spoon Concerts '59 (incl. Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, etc), Evenin' Blues, Blues Around The Clock, Blue Spoon (with keyboard and three rhythm), Some Of My Best Friends Are The Blues with horns, strings arr./cond. by Benny Golson: title track released as single and flip side, soulful ballad 'You're Next' at a loping tempo was a Hot 100 hit '65; also Blues For Easy Livers (with Pepper Adams, Roger Kellaway, others), Mean Old Frisco (with twelve pieces) and Baby, Baby, Baby, some of these now on Fantasy/OBC CDs; also Rockin' L.A. '88 on Fantasy. With Junior Mance '69 was made live in France, on a Stony Plain CD '97. Many albums in and out of print incl. Love Is A Five Letter Word on Capitol (top 200 LP '75), Handbags And Gladrags on ABC; also recorded with Gerry Mulligan, Richard 'Groove' Holmes on Tradition, Jay McShann on RCA and Black Lion, Sings The Blues '80 with the Savoy Sultans on Muse, Live In Paris with Buck Clayton on Vogue; Spoon's Life '80 on Evidence, Big Blues on JSP (made in London '81), Midnight Lady Called The Blues '86 on Muse, Ain't Nobody's Business on Black Lion, Spoonful on Avenue Jazz, Live At The Mint '94 on On the Spot; compilations incl. Spoon So Easy: The Chess Years. He survived throat cancer, and told Chip Deffaa about the difficulty of making a living in black music (in Blue Rhythms: Six Lives In Rhythm And Blues '96).